Life After Tea Time
by ImaginationIsland
Summary: The whole band is progressing with life except for a certain drummer who disappears for seven years and re-enters the life of the one who banished her. The irony is, the one who banished her was the one in desperate need of her. Changed the rating to M due to language and other future events
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm re-uploading this story w/c was published back in 2014. It was entitled as "There is no such thing as the end" and I had a different pen name back then. So I'll be re-uploading the previous 3 chapters and will add some more until, hopefully, I finish it.**

 **I don't own K-ON! or any of its characters**

CHAPTER 1: The End

The members of the HTT band are in the second year of their college lives except for Nakano Asuza, who's in her first year, and as they have imagined before when they were still in high school, they all picked different programs that they envisioned themselves to take… well… most of them. Hirasawa Yui, their air- headed lead guitarist actually pursued B.S. Education While Kotobuki Tsumugi, the sometimes-air-headed-but-very-perceptive heiress who is also their keyboardist took the Performing Arts major in Theatre. Nakano Asuza, the rhythm guitarist was accepted in the Music Conservatory which is a very prestigious one in all of Japan. To become a professional musician is her dream after all. Akiyama Mio took A.B. Literature because studying/ reading/ writing literary works has been her passion and then there's Tainaka Ritsu. She took B.S. Business management then shifted to B.S. Marketing then shifted to B.S. Education and is now planning to shift to a different program.

"Mou! I can't take this anymore!" Shouted a very frustrated girl with honey-colored hair that is pulled back by a yellow hair band

"Don't worry Captain! You'll find the right path in your next program!" Shouted back by a rather enthusiastic brown haired girl that is sporting a huge grin while her eyes are closed and her hands in front of her doing a thumb's up position

"Thanks private Yui! I can always count on you when I feel down!" the hair banded girl said with conviction while putting her right arm over the brown haired girl's shoulders

"…Mataku.. Yui-senpai and Ritsu-senpai doesn't change do they?" Sighed the cat-like girl while staring at her two senpais that seemed to have drifted to another world

"I think it's a good thing though" Said a blond girl with a contented smile

"Uhm, excuse me here are your orders." An orange haired girl wearing white long sleeved button up shirt with her sleeves folded up to her elbows and a black chaleco over it and a black bowtie tied around her collar, she was also wearing a red plaid skirt hanging two inches just above the knee. "one tutti fruti milk tea for miss Yui, one green tea frapp for miss Asuza, one green tea frapp for Miss Tsumugi, one Hot special Earl Grey for Miss Mio, and one mocha Americano to mi—" she suddenly stopped as she stared a Ritsu "Um, sir Rikku. Gomen, the cashier might have misheard your name" the waitress said as she bowed

"Heh… its ok miss" Ritsu said with a wink which made the waitress blush

When the waitress was out of ear shot, Mio suddenly stood up and said that she needs to go and finish her term paper which made Ritsu immediately stand up "Mio?" The raven haired girl didn't even bother to stop and look around. "Sorry guys, I gotta go and follow her" Ritsu said with a slight bow and soon she took off in a hurry to catch up with her mad girlfriend.

Outside the café "Mio! Hah..hah..hah…" The hair banded girl said that seemed almost like a shout between pants _"What the? I'm already out of breath? Hmm…I guess I'm having too much coffee"_ She said to herself as she felt her heart thump too fast than usual. "What?!" The black haired beauty snapped as she turned around to look at Ritsu. "I'm sorry for winking at her. I didn't mean to do that. It just came out naturally" The honey-colored hair girl said while bowing in front of Mio. "Stop that, people are staring." She said in a rather cold and indifferent way. "ah… sh-sure. S-sorry again" She said while scratching the back of her head with an unreadable face but uncertainty and a tinge of sadness is reflected through her amber eyes.

"Mio, is something wrong?" She said while staring at the ground

"Yes. There is something wrong." The black haired girl said in a 'matter-of-fact" tone.

Ritsu's head shot up and stared into an empty, cold grey eyes "Wha-what's… what's wrong?" She said with tears starting to well up on her eyes. Somehow, she knew what was coming but still managed to ask just to make sure if she was right even though she's hoping that she was wrong.

The raven haired girl sighed heavily. "Ritsu… I'm b- I'm breaking up with you. I c-can't take this anymore." She said while convincing her head that she was doing the right thing. "Ever since college, our future became so, so unreal" She said with a surer tone compared to her first sentence "I-I loved our memories back in high school. I used to think that as long as we loved each other, nothing else matters but I was wrong! We're already twenty Ritsu. It won't take long and we'll be graduating but… you, this is your second year in college but you haven't even completed a single semester of one program that you enrolled yourself into. I mean… I want a future Ritsu. Us being two girls is not helping either. Ah… I, I'm sorry" with that Mio turned away hiding her tears, she crossed the street and got in a random bus that just happened to pass by.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye Mio… my Romio…" The amber eyed girl whispered as tears started to flow down her cheeks while watching the bus carry the love of her life away from her.


	2. Chapter 2

**i don't own K-ON! and any of its characters**

CHAPTER 2: A new beginning

Ritsu went back to the café with a defeated look. "Ricchan? Are you ok? Where's Mio-chan?" A certain blond girl asked with a concerned look emanating in her blue oceanic eyes. "Sh- sh- she b-b-broke up with me" The hair banded girl struggled to say as she suddenly broke down creating sobbing sounds with gasps in the middle of it which made other customers look at their table out of curiosity.

"I think we should go somewhere else." Their kouhai suggested when she noticed the frequenting glances from other customers

"You're right Asuza-chan" Mugi nodded and helped Ritsu stand up. "We'll take a cab"

The Air-headed guitarist remained silent. She can't comprehend what just happened. _"No. No. No. No. No! How can this happen to Ricchan and Mio-chan? Their supposed to be in love forever!"_ "No!" The brown haired girl suddenly shouted and stood up at the same time which made more eyes fall on them

Getting a bit uncomfortable, their kouhai stood up beside the distraught girl and started to rub the back of her senpai to make her calm down. "Shhh. Calm down Yui-senpai. We'll figure this out, but first let's go take cab as suggested by Mugi-senpai" The pig-tailed girl whispered.

"Y-you're right Azunyan. Gomen." The lead guitarist said in a low voice she then took a deep breath to calm her nerves down. _"If I'm feeling this way, I wonder how Ricchan is feeling?"_ She thought to herself while looking at the shaking body of the honey-colored haired girl.

"I-I gotta go!" Ritsu said as she stood up, and ran to the door of the café leaving the rest of the group startled and speech less. She ran and ran as fast as she can while crying, to where she's headed, nobody knew, not even her.

The sun is getting ready to set as the sky revealed its majestic cloak of orange, pink, and violet. She must have wandered for hours because it was only short after lunch when her world fell apart. She found herself in front of their university's gate, people were starting to leave for majority of the classes are over. She entered her school and walk straight to her faculty's building. She was in a trance, she walked without seeing anything, she just saw through everything without even understanding or thinking about what passed her sight. As she entered the admission's office, she took a sheet of paper with the title of 'Shifting slip.' It was the same slip she's been filling out since she got to college but this time she checked a different box. She checked the box that says 'Dropping out'. "Eh? Tainaka-san, you're here again!" The old lady clerk said behind her window. "Are you shifting programs again? I must say that it's not good to shift through so many programs young lady" the clerk continued "Ah. Haii, but I'm not gonna shift this time, I'm just gonna drop out." The now hair band less girl said with a fake smile so as not to get the old lady curious of her situation. "Are you sure? Do your parents know?" The old lady said while holding her spectacles "Yes Ma'am. I am sure and they know of what I'm doing" She said with another fake smile while stroking her bangs back _"oh great, I lost my hair band, I didn't even notice"_ "Ok then, just complete the form and I'll process it. You're removal will be effective next week which means you won't be able to get inside the campus again without any valid I.D. so I suggest you fix all your things and other business that you still have in the university until then" The clerk said while typing something in her computer and not even questioning Ritsu's decision, she was of legal age anyway. "Haii. Arigatou" That's all the amber eyed girl said as she proceeded to completing the form

10:00 pm

'The subscriber you're calling right now is not available; please try your call later' "Neither of them is answering" The blond heiress said to her bandmates in defeated tone. They all live in the same dorm and Akiyama, Mio and Tanaka, Ritsu are still not home. "I'm getting worried" said their kouhai "Me too Azunyan." The brown haired girl said as she wrapped her arms around the said kouhai which surprisingly didn't give the pig-tailed girl goose bumps and didn't feel like getting out of the embrace. She was as sad as her two senpais because they just don't want to see their two best friends fighting, or worse, not even making a fuss about a horrible situation. "It's already 10 pm, it's already curfew time." The air-headed guitarist muttered which surprised the two girls; it is just so unusual for them when Yui makes sense. The three girls remained silent for a few more minutes. "Yo minna." A voice from the entrance of their dorm greeted. The three girls waiting at the dorm's lounge turned their heads and saw a hair band less, ragged looking Ritsu. "Ricchan!" "Ritsu-senpai!" The girls almost shouted while standing up abruptly at the same time feeling relieved that one of their friends has returned. "Yo" The ragged girl said as she approached the lounge area. "Where have you been Ricchan?!" The blond girl said as she rushed towards the amber eyed girl and embraced her friend. "I just went for a walk" she said silently without returning the embrace. "…Ricchan please remember that we are here for you ok?" The caring heiress said while releasing her friend from her embrace. "Ritsu-senpai…" The pig tailed kouhai just muttered and slowly sat down again for she was at loss of words to make her devastated senpai feel better. "Ricchan, we understand that you're in a tough situation right now, but please don't carry the weight by yourself… we will help you through everything. Th-there's no reason to keep the pain all to yourself captain." Yui said as tears suddenly flowed down her cheeks. With this, the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist followed suit and started to cry as well. "Mou… S-stop that you girls, Y-you're making me cry too." The honey-colored hair girl said while restraining her own tears from falling but still fell anyway.

An hour went bye as the four girls chatted in the lounge area of their dormitory. "So you're really going to drop out from our university, Ricchan?" the brown haired girl asked with hopeful eyes that her captain was just actually cracking a joke. "Yes Private. I'm going to leave. But that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon HTT. I mean, I love you all. I really treasure each and every one of you so even if we're not together physically like how we are right now. You girls will always be in my heart and nobody can replace you." The amber eyed girl said with a genuine smile which made the rest of the group smile as well. "Hmm… I better take a bath now, I know I'm reeking like hell, so see you all tomorrow morning for breakfast." The red puffy amber eyed girl said with a wide grin as she stood up from the lounge's couch and started to head upstairs where the rooms are located.

1:00 AM at the west wing of the dormitory

"Azunyan…" Yui knocked on her kohai's door. Nobody answered and the room seemed silent. _"I guess she's already asleep"_ Before turning her back she instinctively twisted the door knob as if hoping that the door might open and the brown haired girl's surprise, the door opened, _"Eh? How unlikely of Azunyan to leave her door unlocked"_ "Yui-senpai?" the lead guitarist flinched at the sudden sound of her kouhai's voice. "Y-you're awake? I thought you were sl-" her words were cut when she saw her cute cat-like kouhai sleeping peacefully _"Hehe… you're dreaming of me huh"_ she chuckled to herself and decided to come closer to the sleeping girl's bed. "Azunyan... we… will never break up right?" The air headed asked her now-sleeping-girlfriend. No answer was given and so the lead guitarist just decided to climb up the bed and kissed her unknowing victim on the lips. It was just a light kiss but the culprit earned a smile from the sleeping girl. Minutes passed by and the brown haired girl dozed off to dream land "No, Yui-senpai, we will never break up no matter what happens. Not even the world can tear us apart" Whispered the cat-like girl when she realized that her lover was already asleep. She kissed the dreaming girl on the forehead and chuckled _"I knew you would sneak into my room. That's why I left the door unlocked"_

1:00 AM at the east wing of the dormitory

The blond heiress just finished taking a bath and came out of her bathroom with only just a white towel covering her pristine skin. She sat down in front of her vanity and sighed as she saw herself in the mirror. "You don't know how lucky you are Mio-chan. You just threw the most precious treasure that some of us can never have…" the blue eyed princess said and sighed again in defeat of thinking how to solve the problem they were facing and how to overcome the temptation of taking Ritsu for herself. She was generous by nature and a good friend. She can't ask the amber eyed girl to be with her for she knows that in the end, there would be an empty space in the other girl's heart that can only be filled by a certain raven haired girl. She doesn't want to hinder the happiness that may occur in Ritsu's life, but then again, how could that happen when her happiness dumped her? _"Stop in Mugi!"_ She scolded herself for even considering the temptation of being selfish _"You are their friend, so be a good one!"_ She shook her head several times and decided to just lie down and wait until sleep takes over her crowded mind.

1:00 AM at south wing of the dormitory

It was already past midnight and sleep was nowhere to be found in the amber eyed girl's room. She twisted and turned several times still trying to find the right position for her to sleep, but yet to no avail. _"That's just typical of you Mio. You rob me of my ability to so sleep when you make me happy or when you break my heart. You're… probably tired now for always running in my head"_ "Hehe" The sleep less girl chuckled dryly at herself for the statement that went through her mind that was probably good enough to be a cheesy pick-up line **[1].** _"But, I can't blame her though… I am pretty much going nowhere and she's a person that has already planned out her life since high school"_ Ritsu thought while stopping her twisting and turning and decided to just lie on her back with her arms laid under her head while she stared at the ceiling of her dorm room. Then she shifted her gaze to her left side where beyond the wall of her room lies the silent room of her life… and apparently her death. _"Mio…"_ She whispered while tears suddenly came flowing down relentlessly.

1 AM at the Akiyama residence

The familiar street was silent, the lights of the street lamps are the only one lighting the place. Even the room of a beautiful raven haired girl has its lights off which was unusual whenever the owner of the room is present. Those lights only rested when the sun is up and when a hair banded girl is present with its owner during the night. Suddenly there were crashing sounds of metal just outside the grey eyed maiden's room. **CRASH!** "Ah!" exclaimed by the completely awake and nervous girl "W-w-w-what the hell was that?" She stammered as she held her pillow closer and her blanket tighter. "R-r-ritsu…." She mumbled while curling up into a ball but when she realized what she just said, she immediately straightened up and scolded herself for even uttering the name of her ex _"Dammit. Ah-ah-I don't need her. Those were just cats anyway. I have to be more independent now. I don't need her protection!"_ She shouted in her head _"Besides, I know what I did was necessary. Who were we kidding anyway? We are both girls for Pete's sake! How can we have a future? That's right, it would be best if I get to marry a man and she f-find a g-guy as well. With this, there would be less trouble and our parents wouldn't have to disown us"_ She continued her trail of continues thoughts that would justify what she just did or at least try to make her guilt go away.

In the end, nobody from the HTT band slept except for their air-headed lead guitarist

 **A/N: There you go! :3 It is longer than the first chapter but still not that long. Meh… I tried. I hope you liked it.**

 **[1] is an overused pick up line that goes (just in case you don't know what I'm talking about):**

 **Person A: Are you tired?**

 **Person B: No, why?**

 **Person A: Because you keep on running in my head**

 **XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**i don't own K-ON! and any of its characters**

CHAPTER 3: Seven Years

Seven years went by and Mio never heard anything from the amber eyed girl, not a call, not a message, not even a single news feed from social media, even if the raven haired girl Googles her, a different person with the same name would appear. It's like the amber eyes that she loved vanished and ceased to exist after the day she broke the poor girl's heart. Her absence felt like she no longer existed. The warmth she emanated, the joy & laughter she brought, and the strength she willingly lent to others was nowhere to be found, the band stopped talking about her altogether making her feel that her Tainaka Ritsu was just a dream.

It caught her off guard when their friends told her of the news of Ritsu dropping out of college, she did not want to believe them but when she checked the dorm room beside hers, it was empty and silent, just like the void that is in her heart. Realizing the mistake that she had done, she had no choice but to try to move on, for her actions can never be undone. Of course she tried to look for her, She went to the house of the Tainakas but it seemed that the whole family vanished without even saying a word, and a week after that, a new family was already moving in her best friend's house. After much struggle of looking for the person that she deliberately pushed away, she gave up and just hoped that someday, fate might allow them to see each other. And so, she just decided to accept the situation and hope for a second chance.

Mio kept her self busy so she could be distracted from the aching emptiness that she felt. She finished her literature degree with flying colors as a magna cum laude. She finished her masters' degree and is now working in the Tokyo University as a professor and was paid a lot. She also writes books of different genres as a hobby but got a deal with a publishing house which led her to become an award winning author. Slowly but surely, distracting herself worked and lead her to forgetting the reason why she wanted to be distracted in the first place.

Seven years after the break-up (present time)

It is mid spring in Japan, the cherry blossoms are at full bloom [1] and tourists are pouring everywhere. Even the locals are in the mood to frolic and just enjoy the spring but the most crowded city is Tokyo, where tourists and business men file on the road like ants when looked at bird's eye view. In the shopping district where boutiques, arcades, restaurants and movie houses are aligned, a teary eyed, raven haired girl is found.

"Are you seriously crying right now Mio?!" A brown haired man with a clean cut said or practically shouted out of his frustration. "I s-s-said I don't want to watch a h-horror mov-v-vie." The raven haired girl said softly while trying to stop her tears from falling. "Geez Mio! When will you grow up?! At first you being immature like that was cute, now it's just tire some." The man said with clenched jaw and fists

"…"

"What, no reply?" the man said while lifting his arms and palms facing the sky

"…"

"Dammit! I'll go ahead now; our friends are waiting in the theatre. Just wait outside or something" The pissed off guy said as he turned his back and headed to the theatre.

"Wow! What a jerk!" a familiar voice said

In surprise, the raven haired girl quickly turned around to look for the voice's source. Behind her was a man that looked so familiar. He has amber eyes, honey-color hair up to his shoulders with bangs covering his forehead and a bit of his eyes.

"Uh… Uhm… Do I know you sir?" Mio was at loss of words due to her mixed emotions of surprise, confusion, and awe. The man standing in front of her was totally her type, not that she had a type for a man. This guy just has this… 'something' that attracted her, plus he was taller which was very important for her.

"Eh? Sir? Hahahaha!" The guy looked puzzled then started laughing which made Mio flinch uncomfortably. First her guy shouts at her, the next second a hot random guy is laughing at her. What a perfect day for her.

"I was right! Men are nothing but monsters!" She exclaimed and sharply turned around to go somewhere, anywhere but there.

"Huh? H-hey wait!" The new guy said as he rushed to hold Mio's shoulder and turned her around to face him.

"what the?!" Mio said in surprised as she found herself being pulled into an embrace by the guy. She didn't move. She just stayed in the embrace but didn't hugged back either. _"W-w-why does this f-feel so familiar?"_ her thoughts were filled with confusion and uncertainty

The amber eyed guy pulled away with a shy grin while scratching the back of his head. "S-s-sorry about that Mio"

"Huh?" the raven haired girl's heart skipped a beat then started running wild as she stared in this familiar stranger's eyes

The guy placed his hands in his pockets and smiled even wider that slowly vanished as he finished his sentence "It's me Mio. I guess seven years wasn't enough for you to get over your fright of horror stuff" _"but enough to forget me. Heck, you even have a boyfriend now…"_

The amber eyed guy snapped back to reality as he heard Mio's voice

"Ritsu?!" The stormy eyed-girl exclaimed with her mouth still open after calling out the name of the person she forced herself to forget

"Uh, y-yeah, it's me." Ritsu said with a weak smile

The raven haired beauty was in a state of shock, she didn't move, she didn't say anything. She just stood there like a rock. _"You fainted, didn't you?"_ The amber eyed girl thought and was amused that her best friend didn't change at all.

The sun was already setting when the raven haired girl opened her grey orbs. She blinked slowly and saw the sky. The sun was already setting, she then looked around and realized that she was in an unfamiliar place which made her jolt up and sit down immediately due to blood rushing to her head "Ah, ouch." She remained seated on the edge of the bed while massaging her head while her eyes are closed _"Where the hell am I? And what a strange dream… I saw a guy that looks exactly like Ritsu that turned out to be Ritsu herself… Ritsu…" "_ Ritsu!" The confused girl suddenly blurted out the name of the source of her confusion. "What?" A voice behind her said calmly. The voice which was apparently seated on a chair near the head of the bed said

"AH!" the sudden utterance of the voice took her by surprise.

"Hahaha… still a scaredy cat after all these years?" The amber eyed girl said with a glint of amusement in her orbs

"What?" The black haired girl turned around from her position to face the girl that suddenly made her irritated "Look, I don't want to have this conversation again for this day. I-"

"You're still so cute and beautiful Mio."

"I thought I said that I don't want to talk about- what?" The infuriated girl stopped as she was suddenly taken off guard

"I said you are so cute and beautiful." The honey color haired girl smiled and stood up and slowly walked towards the edge of the bed.

The stunned girl flinched and was not sure how to react to what she just heard. "I… ah, uhm" she shifted her gaze from the figure, who's slowly walking towards her, to the floor. In a short while, she shivered. Electricity suddenly flowed from her neck then simultaneously to her head and to her arms that crept down to her legs. Sure the room was cold but she felt warm. Her skin felt warm, her heart felt warm & her soul felt warm. She felt this strange feeling with her eyes closed. As her shivering warmth subsided, she opened her eyes and saw the source of that familiar yet new warmth. The Amber eyed girl's arms are wrapped around the waist of the black haired woman. Her head nuzzled on Mio's shoulders while inhaling the scent of her skin and exhaling with satisfaction which gave the grey eyed girl another shock of goose bumps.

They stayed in that position for another minute before Ritsu lifted her head and stared in the eyes of her soul mate (according to herself). "I could just stare at those eyes forever… I want to get lost in it. I… I-" she said in a low voice as if she was in a trance. Before she could finish her smitten words she was interrupted by a sudden movement that broke her state of euphoria. Mio pulled away from that embrace that seemed to have a force of gravity of its own pulling her deeper, she fought it even if she didn't want to. "-R-R-Ritsu… how could you be so close to me like this? You should be hating me, cursing me, pushing me away!" She said with tears in her eyes and disbelief on her face. "I-I was a… I was a bitch! I don't deserve your warmth. I don't deserve that kind look in your eyes. I'm the worst person! I just… Just hate me so I can suffer for the things I said and did." With her last sentence, she dropped on the floor and started crying.

"I did" the amber eyed girl said as she sat down on the floor beside the crying girl. "I did hate you. I was so angry at you that I deliberately erased myself from your world." The amber eyed girl sighed and leaned on the side of the bed as she stared at the ceiling of the room. "I told our friends to not talk about me and they did it to honor my request even if they didn't know why. I convinced my parents to sell the house since we're all going abroad and I used a different name so that you won't be able to track me if you wanted. I wanted to vanish from your life for you to feel your lost and to make you regret what you did." With these words, the raven haired girl stopped sobbing and look to her side where the amber eyed girl sat. "And I planned to return here in Japan, just to show you how successful I was and how much I moved on. Well, that was the plan." The Amber eyed girl chuckled dryly with her last sentence. "And I-" her words suddenly vanished from her mind as she looked at the black haired girl looking at her with a unreadable expression. Tears were flowing down continuously from her stormy gray eyes but her face was expressionless. It seemed like her mind was trapped in a different world.

 _"Damn you Ritsu! How could you purposely do all these things?! I fucking suffered through hell! I suffered in a play that you planned oh so well! I- and I deserved it… I'm such an idiot. I hate myself. I want to die right now. I'm not even worthy of her presence and honesty right now… crap. This is all because of me."_

"Mio?" Ritsu said as she dried her tears with a handkerchief.

Slowly returning to the world she responded in a confused state "Wha- what?"

"Uhm, you kind of spaced out… I'm sorry"

"It's ok… I deserved that. And congrats, your plan worked and I'm a complete idiot." She said in a tone that she thought will hide the pain that she's feeling.

In a swift move, the amber eyed girl wrapped the distraught raven haired girl in her arms. She squeezed tightly but gently and rested her head on the sobbing girl's shoulders. "I'm sorry Mio... I'm such an ass wh-" She was cut off by a pair of soft lips on hers. Her amber eyes widened in surprise and softened as they parted. With only a few centimeters away, they felt each other's breath on their skin. They continued to breathe deeply, inhaling each other's essence. "Ritsu… I missed you… I love you… and I-I… I want you." The raven haired girl said as she buried her head in the Ritsu's neck. She inhaled once more and exhaled, sending shivers to the amber eyed girl's neck that traveled to her scalp. "Whoa… Mio… I want you too. I fucking want you Mio." She whispered in the gray eyed girl's ear while planting small kisses and nibbling on her earlobe. "Oh Ritsu!" The gray eyed girl exclaimed as she run her fingers through the honey colored hair and pulling slightly. With this, the amber eyed girl pulled out of their embrace and undid the buttons of the raven haired beauty's clothes.


	4. Chapter 4

**i don't own K-ON! and any of its characters**

CHAPTER 4: Realizations, Catching up, and Secrets

A pair of gray eyes slowly opened and was greeted by mild rays of light. She looked at her cellphone and saw that it was just 5:30 am. She looked to her right and saw the honey colored haired girl beside her. She watched Ritsu and her peaceful breathing; this made her smile and made her shake her head in awe. _"I can't believe I'm this lucky. I… I just can't believe someone like you will come into my life… twice"_ As the raven haired girl thought of this she was reminded of the first time she met those amber eyes when she was little. It felt to her like she was saved by a knight in shining armor and for the second time, now. Ritsu was more like a king to her now, actually. A knight that arose to power, the amber eyed girl became the king of her heart and soul and she was willing to face anything to be with her king. Is it because the change and confidence in the amber eyed girl? Is it because she came exactly at the right time when she's desperately in need of some one? It didn't matter. All she knew was that she was glad that all those feelings that she hid and all the emptiness she coped up with was over.

While the raven haired beauty was in deep thought and was absent mindedly stroking the hair of the amber eyed girl, the said girl awoke and smiled at her, who's apparently in a different world right now. _"Damn Mio. Why are you so beautiful? And… why do you look so… sad?"_ Her appreciation of the raven haired beauty was cut short when she noticed the sad look in her eyes and that was also clearly painted on her beautiful face. "Mio… are you ok?" The amber eyed girl said as she slowly sat up and fixed herself in a position facing the sad girl. "Huh?" The Raven haired girl was startled and immediately rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears that are about to fall. "Why are you crying?" The amber eyed girl asked in a worried and alert tone. "I-I-I'm so sorry Mio! I'm sorry if something happened last night... I thought that you were o-" her panic and forming tears were interrupted when the stormy eyed girl hugged her. "Baka Ritsu… I don't and will never regret what happened between us last night. That was actually the best thing that happened to me since… since the day before I ruined us." She said with a sad smile. "Oh." The amber eyed girl was dumbfounded. "So… why did you look so sad?" The amber eyed girl asked as they slowly parted from the embrace and intertwined their hands. "(Sigh)… It's nothing… I just thought of how stupid I was when we were in college…" The raven haired girl said to stop the amber eyed girl from worrying but deep inside, she wanted to say more but decided that today was not the day for her king to know how complicated and perplexed her situation is. "Heh. Don't worry about it Mio. I completely understand it now. I would've done that too if I were you. I mean, I was going nowhere with my life. In fact, thank you. Thank you for that. I realized that I was wasting my time and that I was not good enough for you." The amber eyed girl said sincerely "Ritsu…" The raven haired girl was saddened even more because she was reminded of the pain that she caused her. "No. Wait, let me finish babe." The amber eyed girl smiled which made Mio blush, and also because of Ritsu calling her 'babe.' "So, yeah, what happened seven years ago, made me strive to be better. And who knows, if you hadn't dumped me, I might have not graduated from college at all." The amber eyed girl said with her characteristic smile while scratching the back of her head. "Haha." The Raven haired girl laughed as the conversation became lighter. "So what did you do? Where have you been? Tell me. I wanna know what happened to you." The raven haired girl finished her sentence with a genuine smile.

"How about we talk over breakfast?" Answered the now-hungry Ritsu

The couple made their way to a café near the hotel where they were staying. As they walked, the amber eyed girl reached to her left to interlock her fingers with the slender and smooth ones of the raven haired. "Ne Mio, are you still playing with Elizabeth?" "Huh? No. Why do you ask?" "Well, your hands are smoother than I remember." The honey colored haired girl said as she lifted Mio's hand to kiss it. With this, the bassist blushed a deep red hue.

"Ohayou gozaimasu. What can I get for you ma'am and s-sir" a waitress greeted them who was suddenly nervous when she looked at Ritsu _"Why do waitresses have a thing for Ritsu? Hmmm… Ritsu… how did you become so handsome? And why on earth are you always so friendly to everyone, no, to every girl?"_ The raven haired girl was once again caught in her thoughts. "Mio? What would you like to eat?" The amber eyed girl asked which made her snap back to reality. "Oh! Um, I would like a…" the gray eyed girl mumbled as she scanned the menu given to them by the waitress. "…a cup of green tea and this." She said pointing to a picture of waffles with a side dish of fresh berries. "Ok. A-anything else?" The waitress asked "No, we're good." Ritsu said with a grin which made the waitress flinch and blush. "What did you order Ritsu?" "Um, coffee & waffles with bacon and eggs." "Wow. That's quite unhealthy Ritsu." "Heh. Well, I guess I kind of got used to the standard American diet." The amber eyed girl said in slight awe because of her new realization. "I guess you're right. I will stop eating those oily stuff." She said while sporting a motivated grin and thumbs up. "Good." The raven haired girl said with a smirk because she easily won over the matter. _"Good, I wouldn't want you to die early Ritsu. I might die as well if that happens."_

Their orders came and they started to eat. "So you mentioned that you got used to the American diet, so that's where you've been all these years?" The raven haired girl asked as she sliced a small piece of her waffle. "No. I just spent a year there before coming back here. I spent the other six in France." "Heh. I see. So what did you do there?" "I studied the culinary arts. I went to America to visit Satoshi, he's in his pre-med program, and I worked as a sous chef." The amber eyed girl said as she ransacked her plate _"Wow. For a chef, I didn't expect that choice of food… so oily"_ The raven haired girl cringed as she saw her companion's plate oozing with maple syrup and oil from the fried bacon and egg. "Oh… what kind of restaurant did you work at?" "Different types, I want to have a wide range of experience." The amber eyed girl said with an oily smile. Seeing this, the raven haired girl reached to the other side of the table and wiped Ritsu's mouth with a napkin. "Hehe" The amber eyed girl chuckled "You are so hating what I'm eating right now, ne Mio?" "W-well, it's just that you should eat more healthy" The raven haired blushed, realizing that she was so obvious. "Hehe. Relax Mio, I cook better than this. I just kind of craved for this. Hehehe" "Fine. I'll let you enjoy that… that thing you're eating" Ritsu laughed at her 'girl friend's' reaction which made the raven haired laugh as well.

The couple spent a few hours talking over tea where they had their breakfast and headed to the hotel where they stayed and checked out.

"Let's go to my place Ritsu. My mom would be surprised to see you"

"Sure! But let's go buy her a cake or something"

 _At Mio's house_

They arrived in the raven haired girl's house by riding the yellow Camaro SS with two black stripes painted on the hood extending to the trunk, which the amber eyed owned. _"What an expensive car. How the hell did you afford this?"_

 _Inside the house_

Mrs. Akiyama greeted them and was delighted with the surprise that Mio had brought. "Tell me Mio, who is this handsome man?" The lady said while ushering them into the living room

"Mom, can't you remember? This is Ritsu!" Mio said with amusement

"Hi Akiyama-san!" The person in question greeted with a cheeky grin and a peace sign.

"Ritsu?!" Upon realization, she 'bear hugged' the amber eyed girl. "I can't believe it's you! Look at you, so handsome and tall!"

"Mom! Stop that. You're squeezing the life out of her!"

"Oh. Right, right. Ahem, sorry, I just got so excited and…" she said while the volume of her voice diminishing "and I'm just so happy that you are not him"

"Him?" Ritsu asked which surprised the mother a little, she didn't know that her voice was still audible when she muttered her undesired thoughts.

"Him? Did I say 'him'?" The older lady feigned innocence. The amber eyed girl decided to let this go and just ask Mio or even better, wait for Mio to tell it herself.

Hearing this from the two, Mio just remained silent with her well-practiced poker face.


	5. Chapter 5

**i don't own K-ON! and any of its characters**

CHAPTER 5: Acceptance

"Well, It was nice seeing you again Ricchan!" Mrs. Akiyama waived goodbye by their door as Ritsu enters her car.

 _Inside the house_

"I never thought that I'll be seeing that girl again"

"Neither did I"

"Ne Mio, why did she suddenly go away without even telling us? I've wanted to ask you that for a long time now, but I didn't since it seemed to always break you when her name is uttered."

"It's my fault. I was the one that caused her to leave"

"And why is that?"

Thinking before she replied to that question, she decided that it doesn't matter now that her mother knew that she had a relationship with Ristsu.

"Because I.. I broke up with her."

"What?! You two were together?!"

Hearing the heightened emotions of her mother, she opted to extinguish it immediately. "Yes mom, we were together and I broke up with her because I knew that you would have this reaction especially dad. But now when I look back at it, it shouldn't have mattered because I loved her and I still do. So if you think that you can do something about it, you are far from-"

"Mio, honey, slow down a little. What made you think that we would think that way?"

Mio was dumbfounded. Does it mean that what she had done seven years ago were all for naught and just caused all the unnecessary suffering? "What… what do you mean? I've seen… No. When I was little, all you and dad wanted was for me to graduate college, have a good job, and find a good _husband,_ and I never really heard you guys supporting these kinds of relationships, and hell, you were so damn strict too!" Mio almost shouted as she was filled with confusion, regret, and anger.

Her mother took a deep breath. "My child… what you said is, was true. If you think about it, if we have known back then, when you were still younger, we might have the reaction that you were expecting for us to have… but now… seeing you with Tetsuro and seeing you with Ricchan are two completely different things. I'm sure your dad's soul would only want your happiness. And that's what I see now. That long lost shine in your eyes is back" As the older lady spoke, she approached Mio and held her in her arms.

"Do you really mean that, mom?" The raven haired girl said, tears of happiness almost forming in her eyes until she remembered something horrible.

"Yes I meant that." She said with a smile, upon seeing the change in her daughter's face, worry came to surface. "What's the matter Mio, is everything alright?"

"About Tetsuro… I'm pregnant mom."

 **AN: I know this is short. Sorry about that.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So here's chapter six. If you'll notice Mugi is a bit of OOC but that's just because of the situation and because they are already aged around 29. So yeah, people change. :P**

 **And just a reminder on how conversations are read:** "This is spoken" ; _"these are thoughts"_ ; **"these are texts"**

 **i don't won K-ON! and any of its characters**

CHAPTER 6: Arising Problems

The visit to the Akiyama house was nice. It has been, after all, a long time since Ritsu saw Mio's mother. It was just unfortunate that Mr. Akiyama had passed without her even knowing. It was obvious that Mio's parents would not be in favor of their relationship back then, but she loved them as if they were her own anyway and they cared for her as well as if she was their own, so she never really took that against them. She understands; all parents want the best for their children.

 _11pm, Sunday (Tokyo)_

She arrived back at the hotel where she is staying and decided to take a long bath.

Lying in the tub, she thought to herself _"Well… that was unexpected... I thought I'll be out of here in just a few days."_ Thinking about the unexpected rekindling of her love for Mio, it was incredible. She felt as if all that was, was just supposed to happen and that nothing can go wrong; but at the back of her mind, there is this guilt ebbing its way. With a heavy sigh, she stood up and dried herself. She is so ready for bed and some peace and quiet to collect her thoughts.

Just after putting on a white sleeveless undershirt and her black boxers, her tablet rang. Looks like the blonde heiress is calling her in Skype.

"Yo Mugi" She greeted with a tired tone

"Oh, gomen Ricchan. Were you about to sleep?" The blonde asked, clad in her white nightgown and with her hair tied up in a messy bun

"Yes. But it's ok. We can talk." She said with a soft smile

"Ok." The blonde agreed with a warmer smile as compared to the amber eyed girl's "So how was your day?"

"Um… I don't want to talk about it" She immediately countered "How's your weekend going? Oh, and ohayou!" she smiled cheerfully when she greeted, remembering the time zone difference from where Mugi was.

Unbeknownst to the amber eyed girl, the blonde heiress knows her so well that she can tell that the smile she's giving her right now is not a genuine one.

"Ricchan, is everything ok?" The blonde can't help but worry

"Yes Mugi everything's fine" She said, forcing a chuckle

"Ok..." She replied thoughtfully. _"I'll let this go today Ricchan, but you better tell me soon"_

"By the way, thanks for lending me your car Mugi." She spoke with a grateful, and this time, a genuine smile.

"It's no problem Richhan. You know that I love you, right?" She said in a very sweet yet sultry tone

Seeing the heiresses' hooded lids, Ritsu gulped. " _This is going to be hard"_

 _6:30 am,_ _Sunday (France)_

The Skype call ended. This was not the feeling Mugi expected to have after a video call with Ritsu. She thought that she would feel excited and happy. Excited that _her_ _Ritsu_ would finally go home and happy that the plan was over with, but somehow, she has this gut feeling that things did not go as planned.

"Tsk. Now I'm bothered." She said as she flicked her tablet on the bed. She just woke up and decided to call the amber eyed girl first thing in the morning and now she regrets it because it basically ruined her whole day.

She picked up her phone and called her butler. "Hilair, s'il vous plaît me réserver un vol pour Tokyo en deux semaines… Oui merci."

 _8:00 am, Monday (Tokyo)_

Exams welcomed the students who are back from spring break in Tokyo U and as a professor Mio was assigned to proctor a section while they took their exams. She sat in a stool in the corner of the room spectating the students. Normally she would be standing up and roaming the room but since it was just a minor subject, she just sat there. Of course that wasn't all the reason. She sat there because her boyfriend is berating her through text and she has to reply somehow.

 **"Where the fuck did you go last Saturday?! I told you to fucking wait until the movie finished but you just ditched! I looked like fool in front of our friends!"**

 **"Sorry, I didn't feel well so I just went home"**

 **"Right, you're so sick. A message, telling me, was not possible. Fuck this Mio. When will you grow up?!"**

Mio thought for a while. Obviously this asshole was the father of her unborn child because there are only two people she had slept with for her entire life, him and Ritsu. But then again, she's not even sure if it will develop and push through… If it doesn't, then there's nothing to talk about. If it does, she will keep it. The remaining question though, is that: will she tell Tetsuro about it?

 **"What now? No reply? Leaving again without telling me?!"**

 **"I just took a look on the students. I'm proctoring an exam"** She half lied

 **"I will grow… just about now."**

 **"What the hell? What the fuck are you talking about?"**

 **"You asked me when I will grow up. I answered now. This is over, and the truth is, I grew. I grew tired of you for being such an ass!"** She typed angrily that her nails tapping on her phone's screen can be heard which made the students nearby look. As always, being the master of poker face-ing, the students just minded their own exams again.

 **"What?"**

She didn't reply

 **"Mio look… I'm sorry. Let's talk about it. Please?"**

 **A/N: And there you have it. The title of this chapter also applies to me too. With the story's arising problems, i am also facing one since i have to solve it for the characters. hehehe xP Anyway, thanks for the review and apologies if i have some grammatical errors. English i not my native language.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's the seventh chapter, sorry it took long. I had a bit of trouble in deciding of what will happen next.**

 **So as the title of the chapter says, we will be having some chapters dedicated to what happened in the span of seven years before the return of Ritsu to Japan.**

 **I don't own K-ON! and any of its characters**

CHAPTER 7: The Missing Seven Years Part 1

 _Seven years ago_

It has been three months since Ritsu decided to vanish, and all the HTT band can do is live with it. It was sure more silent than before, not that the drummer was the noisiest (or is she?) it was just that there was an obvious change in the aura and energy within the group. Not only that, Mio had also decided to distance herself from the group until, eventually, a wall between them has formed.

For the band who's caught in the middle of the fight, all they can do was to be understanding of the needs of their bassist and drummer and despite the gap that had formed; they would never close their doors on them.

"Ne Mugi-senpai, have you talked to Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai?" Asked by the youngest of the group

"Hmm… Hai Azusa-chan, it's just that, whenever I ask them how they are, they would just say that they're ok and act as if nothing happened…" The blonde said with deep concern in her face "Let's just wait for them to open up to us…"

"Sōdesu ka... "

* * *

 _After six months (year 1)_

Summer break had begun and the group still remained incomplete. The bassist had, basically, shut them out. Not a single word between them was uttered; they just heard news about her from the school itself when they announce her academic accomplishments and award, and how a lot of lowerclassmen from the college of arts admire her so much. She also transferred to a different dormitory without even notifying them. Being shut away, the group really felt hurt to the point where they all stopped playing altogether, except for their kouhai because she was in the music conservatory; so it was mandatory.

Summer had come and their situation hasn't really changed (for the better).

 **"Azusa-chan, can you tell me what happened there? My big sister doesn't want to talk about it…"** Ui texted. Being in a pre-med program, which was offered in different school, she wasn't able to talk much to them, even her sister. **"I don't want to ask ne-chan because it makes her sad :( "**

 **"Yes, it does. It makes us all sad, it's just that Yui-senpai is not good at hiding her own feelings."**

 **"Yeah... that's true"**

 **"Anyway, I'm sure that you know, after Mio-senpai broke up with Ritsu-senpai, she also broke up with us. It's just that, we didn't expect for her to do that. It really... just stung."**

 **"So they both left you guys?"**

 **"No… not really. Ritsu-senpai sometimes checks on us but that's all."**

 **"Oh? Mio-senpai doesn't ask about her?"**

 **"She did once, just a few days after they broke up but Ritsu-senpai asked us not to talk about her. I guess Mio-senpai realized that. She just accepted it without even asking."**

 **"Eh… Maybe that's why she just went away, because you guys are being secretive"**

 **"Maybe you're right… we just wanted to honor Ritsu-senpai's request."**

 **"What about Mio-senpai's request?"**

 **"…we… we've realized that, but by the time we did, she too had already left :("**

* * *

 _Year 3_

On the night of the final day of their college lives (except azusa's), the pianist and the lead guitarist received a message from their long lost drummer

 **"Omedetō min'na. I hope you're all doing great. Good luck in life! :3 –Ritsu"**

This made the two ecstatic to finally get a message from their drummer

 _Yui's text_

 **"Hehhhhh! Ricchan,'taichou! It's been a long time! How are you? When can we see you? We miss you so much! 3 3"**

 _Mugi's text_

 **"Arigatou Ricchan. You're always missed…"**

Ritsu freely exchanged conversations with the two newly grads. She asked how they are and shared a bit of what's going on with her life; she's been working multiple jobs from wherever she was. She didn't disclose her whereabouts to her band mates except for the blonde heiress.

 **"Anou… Ricchan…"** Sent Mugi without finishing her first message then sent another one **"Would you be keeping this number?"**

 **"Ah… no. But I'll text you when I get a new one. For now, I'll be using this."**

 **"Is everything really ok with you?"** The blonde heiress can't help but feel that there's something wrong with the drummer. Not only is the often change of the number used is strange but also the presence of obscurity and incompleteness in what the drummer says.

 **"Hehe… you got me there. But it's ok, no need to get worried for something irrelevant. I have to go. Ciao!"**

 **"No! Don't go missing again Ricchan! Please tell me, at least, where you are."** This time, the blonde was completely uneasy now. She had a bad feeling about this

 **"France. Gotta go"**

 **"Where in France?"**

The blonde waited for a reply the whole night. She even called the number a few times but strangely enough, it was already unattended or out of the coverage area.

* * *

 **A/N: Too short? My bad. This is just to set up the time hopping that will happen in the next few chapters. Hopefully I can make it longer next time.**

 **Some eplanations: Year 1 is the same year Ritsu left. Year 3 is the graduation year because she left during the sophomore years of the rest of the band**

 **PS. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and everything else. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here goes chapter 8. Hope you like it :)**

 **I don't own K-ON! and its characters**

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT: Le Monstre et L'ange

 **"Mio look… I'm sorry. Let's talk about it. Please?"**

* * *

The 'welcoming' spring exam was done for the day and so is Mio's day. She walked so briskly that she almost looked like she's running, heading to the faculty room to gather her belongings. As soon as she arrived at the administration floor of the college of arts building, she then immediately headed to the time clock. She waited for the other three employees that got there before her, impatiently. Not that she was complaining to them, she was just bouncing on her feet as she waited for her turn as if she was ready to run just in case.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of waiting for the chatty employees to finish inputting their details, it was her turn. She scanned her finger print and keyed in her employee number. By the time she pressed the last button a pair of masculine hands rested on her shoulders.

"What's the hurry babe?" said by the unwanted familiar voice

Hearing Tetsuro's voice froze her. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run and get away from him but she also didn't want to make a scene since a lot of professors are already filing in the admin floor to also time out. With this, she just stepped aside and waited for him to finish checking out in the time clock.

"Uh… um, I just wanted to go… and buy something…" She said meekly

"Something huh, must be important, for you to bounce on your feet like that" he said while looking smug

 _"Dammit! Why didn't I notice him and his revolting perfume?! Am I too distracted to get away from him that all my senses just stopped?"_ Realizing this, the raven haired girl scolded herself in her head

"Mio. Didn't you hear what I said?" This time his voice got louder that some co-leagues' attention shifted to them

"What? Um sorry, I didn't hear"

"I said let's go to your favorite café and talk." He said in a stern voice disguising as a gentle one with a matching pretentious smile

"ok"

They entered a café with waitresses dressed as maids in a rather skimpy version of the uniform. Of course this wasn't her favorite café, it was _his._

"Irasshaimase!" The 'maids' greeted. With this, Tetsuro gave them his handsome, gentleman smile which made some of the waitresses squeal. This pissed off Mio, not because he was flirting with the girls. It was because this same god damned smile was the one that got her in the first place. A smile of a monster, disguised as an angel.

After ordering his usual five-shot Americano, Tetsuro went to find a seat. Mio just ordered iced tea. She doesn't usually drink sugary drinks, but today was just tiring; probably because she was on her fight or flight mode for the majority of the day, expecting that something bad will happen—only to be caught before she escaped.

After ordering, she took her seat across from the man that she was with.

"Mio… about a while ago, I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean to be so angry…" He said looking as sincere as possible

The raven haired girl studied his facial expression with her skeptic gray orbs. If only she didn't know this guy behind the mask, she would've believed every single word he said.

"Look… I believe I said that things between you and me are over." She said in professional and all-business tone.

"No. You said that you grew tired of me. What if I change? Come on Mio. We had a lot of good things going on until you decided to be cold and indifferent"

"Some things can't be changed." Just like the baby in her belly. She had had enough of this pretentious conversation and stood up, quite abruptly to gather gazes from the flirtatious waitresses and whispers. As she exited the establishment she could see Tetsuro bowing and apologizing to the people in the café; still playing his 'mister nice guy game.'

As soon as they were out of earshot and prying eyes from the café, the man caught up with Mio and grabbed her arm to forcefully turn her around.

"Are you going to make this the hard way!?" The man growled

"I see that the game you're playing is over" She said confidently. She doesn't usually speak to him this bravely, only until Ritsu came back to her life. Remembering her ball of sunshine gave her face an involuntary smile

"Heh… you're smiling huh." He said in mock astonishment "Now where the fuck did you get that confidence?" he said as he closed the space between them and tried to kiss her which she evaded

"Stop it! We're in public!" She scream-whispered while pushing him away

"Hehehe, damn Mio. You're turning me on right now" He said as he grabbed her hand to put it on his enlarged crotch.

* * *

Monday was almost over and the amber eyed girl hasn't had any contact with the raven haired beauty yet. She didn't mind it that much; it actually gave her more time to rethink the situation that unfolded when she came back to Japan. Despite her introspection and calculation of what is happening, she always falls back to square one. Square one, which is: "What the hell… am I going to do?"

The confused amber eyed girl lied on her bed, twisting and turning around from time to time, but is more usually in a supine position with her hands behind her head. Her circling thoughts was stopped when the hotel phone rang.

"Konbanwa Tainaka-san" Greeted the desk manager

"Konbanwa"

"A visitor came and is asking for you, would you like us to assist her to your room. She said she was Mio Akiyama"

"Sure, let her come up. Thanks" She replied. She checked her phone clock and saw that it was already ten in the evening. Why would Mio go and visit her at this time without even sending a message?

After waiting for a couple of minutes, the raven haired girl entered the room. She looked ragged and tired. _"Must've had a bad day"_ Ritsu thought.

As Mio closed the door, Ritsu sat up in her bed. "Hey there" She greeted with a cautious smile.

"hey…" Mio said flatly "Can I take a shower?" she said as she entered the bath room without waiting for the amber eyed girl's consent.

"Huh? Ah, um. Sure"

It took an hour for the raven haired girl to finish her bath. She stepped outside in a white bathrobe and noticed that the amber eyed girl had already fallen asleep. She looked at every feature of the sleeping girl and tried to memorize every single detail and then decided to climb up the bed.

She removed her bathrobe and placed it on the hanging rack near the vanity of the room. She laid naked next to her sleeping drummer. As she was about to pull the comforter up to get ready for sleep, the drummer's cellphone lit up with a notification. This made her sit up, just enough to reach the phone on the side table. She saw a received voice message from a person named 'L'ange'. Out of curiosity, she pressed play. The message was spoken in French but sure enough, she thought it was Tsumugi's voice.

She bit her lower lip and looked at the sleeping drummer. _"I know what l'ange means Ritsu… I studied foreign languages during my time as a literature student… what is strange though is that, it's Mugi's voice… looks like I'm not the only one keeping secrets..."_

* * *

 **A/N: next chapter is another piece of the seven missing years. :) Thanks for the review! It makes it more worthwhile to write. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here's chapter nine. It took long because of some family gatherings and also because i had to google things about Paris and it's places to make this chapter. It was like I'm planning a trip in real life. hehe.**

 **As always, I don't own K-ON! and its characters.**

* * *

CHAPTER NINE: The Missing Seven Years Part 2 [Paris]

 _Year 3_

Graduation rights for almost all colleges are over and a new challenge comes at hand for the newly grads and that is: finding a job. For the majority, finding one is hard especially that most jobs need people who at least have some experience in their respective fields. But for a particular raven haired girl, jobs just came, flooding into her doorstep. She graduated with flying colors after all and with a matching outstanding internship records.

Several envelopes came to the Akiyama residence, all bearing good news and plans for their daughter if she chooses their company. This was probably the easiest point of Mio's life. She chose one envelope at a time as if picking what candy to unwrap first in a bag full of sweets.

Things were finally looking up, she thought. After committing a blunder because of her overthinking trait, things were getting better. She was deeply hurt when her friends decided to side with Ritsu; but can she blame them? It was practically her fault on why things came to be, and before she knew it, she was already transferring dorms and stopped talking to them. Was it because she was completely hurt that she was 'treated' as the 'bad guy' or was it just because of complete and utter shame? Either way, she just had to get away from that place so that she'll be able to at least live with herself.

* * *

Given the time that she had, since she did have a position already waiting for her as a professor in Tokyo U for the next school year, she opted to go to a different place and explore and maybe find herself in the process. For having to quell her feelings every time they resurfaced, she just have to have a restart. And this desire to soul search and piece together the broken pieces had led her to France.

* * *

It was just a week ago when the raven haired girl decided to get away and in no time, she already had purchased a ticket going to Paris, so why there, of all places? She didn't know either, maybe it was just the desire to be somewhere different yet somehow familiar. For her, it's familiar because she had read a lot of literature written by French authors and have seen a documentary or two about the Eiffel tower. Or was it because she and Ritsu had made going to Paris, one item on their bucket list back when they were still together? Come to think of it, she never threw that silly bucket list and as silly and insane as some items can be (i.e. skydiving), she decided to fulfill some of it anyway. " _It still counts"_ She thought.

As she exited the aircraft via the aerobridge, she took notice of the different vibe the Charles de Gaulle Airport is giving her. She was immediately filled with excitement, a feeling that has long left her since she basically functioned as a robot back in college. But behind that excitement was fear, fear because she was all alone in a new place where she could get lost in translation. But not this time, she was far too excited to be conquered by fear, plus, she had downloaded a French and English translator app just in case what she was taught in her foreign languages class in not enough.

She took a taxi heading to Generator Hostel, given that it was in the middle of the airport and the Eiffel tower. A plump middle aged French man went out the taxi to assist the newly arrived tourist. The driver seemed very jolly and adorable for the raven haired girl and he had a red nose and cheeks to add to his charm.

"Bonjour mademoiselle. Où dois-je vous prendre?" Said the driver as he opened the trunk of his cab to help Mio with her belongings

"Uhm…" she struggled as she opened her phone to see the translation of what the man had just said. She had a clue of what the guy is implying due to his hand gestures and body language but she better be sure rather than just going inside the cab and end up being lost.

Seeing that the Asian lady didn't understand him, he cleared his throat and spoke in English, heavily laden with French accent. "euh, whrgh should a-I tek yoo?" This kind of surprised her, being more adept in English than any other western language, she understood it clearly despite the accented variation. "To the genereytoru hoster desu. Please" She replied. She did think that she was adept in English but that doesn't mean that she had no accent as well. The driver looked at her with one eye brow raised and chuckled "A-i noo sombuhdy zat sound shjust la- ik you" In reply, Mio just smiled politely and nodded her head, thinking that it was probably just another Japanese tourist who had the same accent. Wanting the conversation to be over with to get to the hostel and have a rest after that 12-hour flight, the raven haired girl reminded: "To the genereytoru hoster please?" "J'y suis" Said the driver, realizing that he was probably making his passenger feel awkward. With one more nod and smile, he packed her things into the trunk.

The ride ended in in just a few minutes after thirty, just in time to check in to the hostel. The ride was pleasant, mainly because of the friendly demeanor of Didier, the driver. At least she got his name and got to say 'thank you' properly.

Before she entered the establishment, she looked at its facade, It looked just like any other building but found it nice and warm on the inside. The décor was in the middle of rustic and modern. She liked the mixture of coziness and neatness of the place.

After checking in, she felt a bit anxious because she would be sharing the room with three strangers. All she knew about them was that two were a couple and the other is a teenager.

She entered the room and found all her roommates inside. They greeted them and she did as well. The couple seemed to be in their early twenties, just like her, and the teenaged girl looked like she was fifteen to seventeen. They were all Caucasians and spoke English so she decided to just stay quiet for most of the time because she didn't want to have to be asked about her accent which seemed to be the total default of any conversations she had upon her arrival. It wasn't like she was insulted for it, she was just tired of answering to the same questions and besides, she didn't want to have any unnecessary events and happenings that are not in her schedule. She was here to find herself and she'll do it her way and according to her pace.

* * *

She fell asleep all throughout the afternoon and woke up at around seven o'clock with a growling tummy. She took a shower and headed straight to the hostel's ground floor where Café Fabien is found. She ordered pasta and lemonade and as she made her way to an empty table in front of a glass door, heading to a garden, a man in clean-cut hair tapped her shoulders from behind. "Anou, are you Japanese?" He said as he bowed his head a couple of times. "Ah, Hai." The raven haired girl answered with a hint of surprise in her tone.

"Sorry to bother you but, can I sit with you? I came here alone and it's kind of getting lonely especially when you can't really talk to someone without my accent being asked about" He said with his left hand behind his head while the right holding his tray of food. Mio was surprised that someone else would describe what she's experiencing right now in the exact same way and to top it all off, he was also Japanese which makes it more exciting. She had to admit that being so sold out on being alone was quite lonesome, but she only planned that because she never even thought that she will bump into someone that made conversations natural (obviously since they are both using the same vernacular).

Realizing that the girl seemed to be in a bit of shock, he immediately apologized for not introducing his self "Ah! Gomen! My name's Hayase Tetsuro." He said while bowing again.

Getting back to reality and out of her thoughts the raven haired girl waved her hands in front of her, indicating that no apologies are necessary "It's ok, it's ok. No need to apologize." She said shyly "I'm Akiyama Mio desu. Nice meeting you Hayase-san" She said with a small bow which made the guy in front of her blush. Upon realizing that they were both standing, Mio invited Hayase-san to sit.

"Please, just call me Tetsuro. No need to be so formal, we are not at home anyway" he said in his dashing smile which made Mio's turn to blush. "H-hai. You can just call me by my first name too"

* * *

 **A/N: Just so you know, every place I said here is for real, so you can google it if you like. And no, I've never been to Paris so I'm really not sure if my descriptions are accurate, and that I really tried to get the french accent going even if it were just two phrases. Took me probably half an hour to do that before getting distracted by other things in YouTube. :))**

 **Anyway, this chapter is more of a scene set up, to get the next chapters (seven missing years: Paris edition) easier, than the story details itself. Next chapter will still be a flash back that will show how Mio and Tetsuro started, and who knows maybe someone from the past will make a cameo or something. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I don't own K-ON! and any of it's characters**

 **Here's part two of Mio's trip. :)**

* * *

CHAPTER TEN: The Missing Seven Years Part 3 [Two Sides of The Tower]

The first thing on Mio's 'Paris' list is to visit the Eiffel tower and so it was the first place she went to, it was just that she did not expect company and a welcomed one, for that matter.

The raven haired girl, once again, rode a taxi only this time, it was with Tetsuro. Her plan seriously took on a higher level of experience when she met the guy. _"This just feels right"_ She thought.

Going on a trip to Paris was definitely a great choice. All she hoped to happen was to find a way to fix herself and she never thought that she'll run into someone who seems to be just so in synced with her. She was never really into men, thinking that their all monsters except for her dad. But then again, that was just her being immature when she was still younger, at the same time, having Ritsu with her was enough and nobody else can compare. That's what she thought at least, until Ritsu lost her way in college and her coming into adulthood collided. All that mattered to her was the ability to have plans and execute them for a secure future and to be able to 'dance' alongside everybody to the music of adulthood.

Ever since then, three years had passed and she couldn't have been more wrong. Life was not about getting ahead of the race and finishing it the fastest along with getting the most awards. It was about living it for every single second that counts and the quality of the relationships that one builds...

She pondered about these things while inside the tower's elevator. The beautiful view that was in front of her was truly refreshing.

"Mio-chan?" Tetsuro asked with a smilie

 _"There it is again! That smile. Oh Kami-sama, what am I feeling for this guy? I've only known him for a day and yet I'm so drawn to him"_ "What is it Haya—I mean, Tetsuro-kun?" She said in a composed smile.

Inside Tetsuro's mind was how hot Mio was. The times where she spaces out are so cute too. "I was wondering if you'd want to eat at Le Jules Verne"

"At the what?" She asked sounding completely clueless of what he said.

"Le Jules Verne, the restaurant located exactly here in the Eiffel Tower. Plus, there's an excellent view too."

"Eh… Um, isn't that expensive and requires fancy clothes?"

Tetsuro looked at Mio from head to toe seeing that the raven haired girl was wearing dress pants and a pretty decent blouse and him wearing a black coat "We're ok Mio-chan, besides, I've already made us reservation" He said with a wink

Mio couldn't believe this guy, how was he able to make reservations in that restaurant with such short notice. "Well, what made you think that I'll come with you?"

"Just a leap of faith Mio, just a leap of faith" he said looking triumphant.

* * *

They entered the restaurant and the Maitre'd greeted them. "Bonjour monsieur et madame, may I know your names?"

While Tetsuro was talking to the Maitre'd she was too busy taking in the interior of the restaurant

"Reservation for Hayase Tetsuro please" He said soflty, almost sounding like a whisper while eyeing the raven haired girl if she was looking at their direction

"Oui. Reservations for monsieur Hayase and madame Yukiyama"

With the mention of a different name, the raven haired girl's attention was caught. "Yukiyama?"

"Uh no. They must've heard your name wrong, Mio-chan" the black coated man said smoothly

"Oh my. Our apologies Ms…?"

"Akiyama" She answered

"Yes, we're truly sorry for this misunderstanding miss Akiyama." The maitre'd said and held his arm to his left telling them to follow him to their seats "This way to your seats please and we will be serving you wine of your choosing, it's on the house"

* * *

They sat at the table next to the window with a clear view of the Jardins du Trocadero.

"Well, isn't this table great?"

"Yes it is, Tetsu-kun" The short cut of Tetsuro's name both caught the two off guard "Um, s-sorry T-Tetsuro-kun." This got the raven haired girl so embarrassed that made her red as a tomato. "I um, ah… excuse me for a sec, I need to go to the lavatory."

As Mio walked away, the man left on the table smiled once again only this time his 'angelic' smile seemed to look like a smirk.

On the way to the rest room, Mio berated herself _"Geez! What the hell is wrong with me?!"_

* * *

 _In the restaurant's dining area_

 **"Tetsuro, I hope you rot in hell! Have fun enjoying your fancy lunch alone."**

 **"Hehehe. That's too bad for you. I happen to find someone way hotter than you and she's so into me. Oh, and did I mention that she's here with me now, having lunch? Haha!"**

 **"Whatever asshole, I hope she sees the monster in you soon"**

* * *

 _In the restroom_

Mio went into one cubicle to finish up and fix her undergarments. She stopped midway when she heard a small ruckus outside. Someone just entered the restroom, almost running, causing the cupper vase on the sink countertop to fall on the tiled floor.

"Aw shoot!" Said the hurrying voice

 _"That voice!"_ Mio immediately buttoned her shirt and went out of the cubicle. As she opened the door she saw someone with a yellow hairband over honey-colored hair. But as soon as she saw that familiar image, it was gone. She thought she was just imagining things. _"Maybe my conscience is just haunting me… moving on without even making peace with her…"_

* * *

 _In the restaurant's dining area_

"Hey, sorry it took long."

"No big deal Mio-chan. Well, shall we order?"

"Sure." She agreed with a slight bow "By the way, have you seen a girl with a yellow hairband and honey hued hair?"

"Yeah. She caused a bit of a disturbance with her rapid pace. Some people thought that there is some kind of emergency."

"Eh. So what happened to her?"

"I dunno, maybe she got fired. I saw the manager ushering her outside for them to talk." He answered "Why are you so curious about her?"

The question caught Mio off guard "Eh? Uhm… It's because she looks like someone I knew from the past."

Tetsuro eyed her thinking that there must be something up "Girlfriend?"

"Huh? Y-yeah." Once again she was surprised "D-does that make you judge me, me having had a relationship with another girl?" This time she braised herself for any negative reaction that might be thrown at her by the man in front of her.

Tetsuro exhaled. "Not really. No, not at all." _"Damn, could this get any better? Fuck! This chick so hot. Maybe she can invite her ex when we get to play around"_ With that thought, something between his crotch hardened, good thing there was linen draping over the table to hide his intentions"Ahem, so yeah, no problem at all!" He said giddily.

"Really? I'm so relieved. Thank you." _"I'm so lucky to have met you Tetsuro-kun"_

Just when they were finished with that conversation, the waiter came and handed them the menu while another served them their wine.

* * *

 **A/N: Ok, Mio's Paris retreat is done. Sorry if it was a drag or something, I just had to show how things came to be between her and Tetsuro because we all know that our beloved Mio will never fall for such a douche bag. But yeah, she didn't know that he was. She will just know this in the future chapters.**

 **And as promised, Ritsu did a little cameo there. I guess that's just something to link us with what's happening to her in France and why she always had to change cellphone numbers.**

 **Thank you for reading! :) Next chapter won't be a flash back, just an FYI.**

 **PS: you can totally Google the places that I've been mentioning in the past 2 chapters to get the whole picture of the place. I'm not that good at describing places. AND you can Google translate the French phrases that I used. :D**

 **Thanks! :)**


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